Génesis 22:4

4 Al tercer día alzó Abraham sus ojos, y vio el lugar de lejos

Génesis 22:4 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 22:4

Then on the third day
After he had received the command from God, and from his setting out on his journey; for he had now travelled two days, Mount Moriah being forty miles from Beersheba, where Abraham dwelt ^F19; or, as others compute it, forty: Hebron ^F20 was twenty miles from Beersheba, and Jerusalem twenty two from Hebron; and to travel twenty miles a day on foot, as Isaac and the servants seem to have done, there being but one ass among them, was far enough in those hot countries. Now all this while Abraham had time to reconsider things in his mind, and deliberate thoroughly what he was going about; and by proceeding in it, after he had such leisure to revolve things in his mind, it appears that he was satisfied it was not an illusion, but an oracle of God he was going to obey; and that he did not do this rashly and hastily, and that his faith and obedience were sufficiently tried, and found genuine. The Jews ^F21 take great notice of this third day, and compare the passage with ( Hosea 6:2 ) ; and which they interpret of the third day of the resurrection; and the deliverance of Isaac on this third day was doubtless typical of Christ's resurrection from the dead on the third day; for from the time that Abraham had the command to offer up his son, he was reckoned no other by him than as one dead, from whence he received him in a figure on this third day, ( Hebrews 11:19 ) :

Abraham lift up his eyes, and saw the place afar off;
where he was to offer his Son. Baal Hatturim says, the word "place", by gematry, signifies Jerusalem: it seems by this, that as God had signified to Abraham that he would tell him of the place, and show it to him, where he was to sacrifice, so that he gave him a signal by which he might know it, which some of the Jewish writers ^F23 say was a cloud upon the mount; with which agrees the Targum of Jonathan,

``and Abraham lift up his eyes and saw the cloud of glory smoking upon the mountain, and he knew it afar off.''

And others say ^F24, he saw the glory of the divine Majesty standing upon the mount, in a pillar of fire, reaching from earth to heaven; and they further observe, that the place where he was, when he saw this, was Zophim, a place not far from Jerusalem; and from hence, when the city and temple were built, a full view might be taken of them ^F25, from whence it had its name.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Bunting's Travels, p. 57.
F20 Reland. Palestina illustrata, tom. 2. p. 620.
F21 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 56. fol. 49. 3.
F23 Bereshit Rabba, sect. 56. fol. 49. 3. Jarchi in loc.
F24 Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 31.)
F25 Gloss. in T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 49. 2. Schulchan Aruch, par. 1. Crach Chayim, c. 3. sect. 6.

Génesis 22:4 In-Context

2 Y dijo: Toma ahora tu hijo, tu único, Isaac, a quien amas, y vete a tierra de Moriah, y ofrécelo allí en holocausto sobre uno de los montes que yo te diré

3 Y Abraham madrugó muy de mañana, y enalbardó su asno, y tomó consigo dos criados suyos, y a Isaac su hijo; y cortó leña para el holocausto, y se levantó, y fue al lugar que Dios le dijo

4 Al tercer día alzó Abraham sus ojos, y vio el lugar de lejos

5 Entonces dijo Abraham a sus criados: Esperaos aquí con el asno, y yo y el muchacho iremos hasta allí, y adoraremos, y volveremos a vosotros

6 Y tomó Abraham la leña del holocausto, y la puso sobre Isaac su hijo; y él tomó en su mano el fuego y el cuchillo; y fueron los dos juntos